The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, a charitable organization founded by billionaire Warren Buffett, will provide Kenya with a grant of Ksh.3.8 billion as part of the external funding for the 2025/26 budget.
According to budget estimates released by the National Treasury, the foundation’s donation will be wired to the State Department of Medical Services to improve healthcare delivery across the country.
This comes as US President Donald Trump cuts foreign donations and freezes funding for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Treasury CS John Mbadi revealed that the freeze would result in a Ksh.52 billion deficit in fiscal year 2024/25, and that the government will review the current budget to prioritise critical areas.
A high-level meeting resolved to take several measures to ensure there is sustainable financing.
The measures included reorganizing the existing health workforce, particularly those affected by the freeze, to support HIV services, boosting local manufacturing of essential medical supplies, and integrating HIV, TB, and malaria care and treatment into the SHA benefits package.
USAID would also have poured Ksh.16.5 billion for food security to strengthen systems in ASAL regions, provide food assistance to refugees in Dadaab and Kakuma, and invest in cooperatives and technology practices.
The sudden dismantling of USAID also affected Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and South Sudan.
The foundation was initially named the Buffett Foundation after being established in 1964 and was renamed the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation to honor Buffett’s wife after her death. It is run by Buffett’s children.
